Abstract (150 Words)
Research on place meanings is explored in tourism and leisure research but most often through the concepts of place identity, place attachment and the measurement of these variables. Another concept having received some attention in tourism and leisure is sense of place. Sense of place in festival tourism research is exploratory and empirical research is limited. Few tourism and leisure studies explore in more detail the use of the narrative to interpret people’s meanings of place. Through an inductive approach and subjective research methods, this study examined the sense of place perceptions of ethno-cultural group leaders at a multicultural festival. Themes emerged relating to sense of place perceptions and the role of the festival in contributing to a sense of place. Results were discussed in conversation with previous sense of place and festival tourism literature. A discussion emphasized the ethno-cultural constructions of sense of place and the need for more multicultural research on place meanings in the context of leisure and tourism experiences.
Conceptualizing Sense of Place through Multi-ethnic Narratives at a Multicultural Festival
Research on place meanings is explored in tourism and leisure research but most often through the concepts of place identity, place attachment and the measurement of these variables. Another concept having received some attention in tourism and leisure is sense of place. Sense of place in festival tourism research is exploratory and empirical research is limited. Few tourism and leisure studies explore in more detail the use of the narrative to interpret people’s meanings of place. Through an inductive approach and subjective research methods, this study examined the sense of place perceptions of ethno-cultural group leaders at a multicultural festival. Themes emerged relating to sense of place perceptions and the role of the festival in contributing to a sense of place. Results were discussed in conversation with previous sense of place and festival tourism literature. A discussion emphasized the ethno-cultural constructions of sense of place and the need for more multicultural research on place meanings in the context of leisure and tourism experiences.
